Delray Wrestles With Growth Pains

Agency Trying To Solve Demand For Parking Spots

April 24, 1998|By BRAD BENNETT Staff Writer

DELRAY BEACH — As the downtown attracts more people to its many art galleries, sidewalk cafes, restaurants and the beach, the Community Redevelopment Agency is taking a step back to decide where all this newfound success is going.

Downtown redevelopment has created a parking problem, and the pull of vibrant Atlantic Avenue has drawn the interest of some unwanted businesses, such as a psychic readings shop, on the busy downtown artery.

The CRA is creating a steering committee of city officials and business owners to make recommendations about how to deal with challenges resulting from the CRA's success. The plan would spell out what people want to see downtown, and what they don't want to see. One thing that is clear is that officials do not want to see a psychic readings shop on East Atlantic Avenue. The owners of Psychic Readings by Linda, at 904 SE Fifth Ave., last month sought to expand into a specialty boutique named World of Angels, selling products with an angel theme in a storefront at 418 E. Atlantic Ave.

Owners also planned to sell organic products, along with New Age and metaphysical books and tapes.

But the city and CRA agreed that the store, which has been permitted for business, should be limited to selling products, not performing psychic readings.

``It was not a use that was intended,'' said Diane Hervey, Brown's assistant.

City planners wrote a prohibition on downtown psychic readings into city codes, but only after the psychic readings request was made.

A new redevelopment plan, however, would try to anticipate similar unwanted business requests, like that of a tattoo parlor the city closed down in the 1980s on North Federal Highway, and prohibit them before a business can make the request.

``Delray is a hot piece of property,'' said Bill Wood, president of the Chamber of Commerce, which will be represented on the steering committee. ``There's no real comprehensive plan for the downtown. Where are we headed?''

The plan could also address how the city will deal with its parking congestion and how to encourage more downtown apartments. The CRA appointed member Howard Ellingsworth to serve on the committee and will nominate members of other city boards. On Monday, the Planning and Zoning Board appointed member Patricia Archer to the committee.

In other business, the CRA considered a plan by Kwik Stop owner Tony Hamdan to redevelop his deli and market in the 200 block of West Atlantic Avenue into an upscale market with a gourmet coffee and tea shop, including an outdoor cafe.

The CRA directed Brown to draft a plan within 30 days to sell the Kwik Stop building, which the CRA owns and leases to Hamdan.